Botulinum toxin type A in pregnancy

Abstract

Question My patient received 62 units of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) for facial lines. Two weeks later, she found out that she was pregnant. Will this cause any harm to her fetus?

Answer Botulinum toxin is not expected to be present in systemic circulation following proper intramuscular or intradermal injection. Moreover, BTX-A, which has a high molecular weight, does not appear to cross the placenta. From the 38 pregnancies reported in the literature, including women who had botulism poisoning during pregnancy, exposure to BTX-A does not appear to increase the risk of adverse outcome in the fetus.